Andrew Wall (left) and David Valesente (right) are both former members of the Elmira Pioneers. Photos courtesy Ithaca Journal
By Tom Fleischman
AUBURN — When anyone asks me why I became a sports writer, I usually answer with some variation of, “Well, I loved sports, and I knew I wasn’t going to play first base for the Yankees, and I could write a little, so ...”
I started writing about sports at a relatively young age, and knew it’s what I wanted to do, so I guess you could say that I’m “living my dream” of being a sports journalist. But am I really “living the dream”? Not hardly.
On the other hand, Newfield’s Andrew Wall (Elmira 2010) and Lansing’s David Valesente (Elmira 2007) are very much living out their childhood fantasies.
Wall, a left-handed pitcher, and catcher/utility infielder Valesente have realized the fantasy of every kid who ever pulled on a Little League uniform, who ever played for a league or sectional title in high school, or even just played in the sandlot on a Saturday (do kids even do that anymore?): They’re playing professional baseball.
To read the full article in the Ithaca Journal, click
here.
